Sensing of pressure on a surface has applications in footwear, beds and sports sensing for impacts.
In shoe sensors and gait analysis using sensors have been proposed particularly for to prosthetics.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,656 discloses a matrix array of pressure sensors particularly for bed sores and displays the signals to highlight the location of hotspots.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,448 discloses an in-shoe sensor array and audible signals prompted by a threshold pressure being exceeded.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,867,285 discloses a prosthetic shoe that incorporates bending sensors to sense the applied pressures and to control the heel and sole of the prosthetic shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,002,672 discloses a treadmill with an array of pressure sensors and software that presents visual images of the pressure patterns. There is no disclosure of using auditory feedback and there are no detailed algorithms disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,122,772 discloses a shoe system for gait analysis and provides an algorithm for an activity index. The system provides audio signal feedback for the user to identify gait characteristics.
The development of instrumented insoles and shoes for pressure measurement is known. However the technological advancement and practical applicability depends on several parameters such as: accuracy of the sensors; resolution of the instrumented sole (sensor density namely the number of sensors on the insole per unit area); data sampling frequency; number of data channels; wireless data transfer rate; mathematical algorithms for improving low accuracy, density and data sampling rate; mathematical algorithms for calculating the centre of pressure (COP); mathematical algorithms for biofeedback signals; and, most importantly, the affordability and costs of smart insoles for therapeutic use (including the ratio of accuracy to costs).
It is an object of this invention to provide a sensor array and software that can provide a useful signal output and also bio feedback for users to modify their motion and improve posture and gait.